Spinning top



March 15, 1938. FESSENMEYER 2,1 11,180

SPINNING TOP Filed Nov. 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

L? 5' fiusfav essenmeyer BY Wm. W

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFIE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to tops and in particular to a topwhich may be spun in the hand by a twisted rod, and, placed on the floor or any flat surface and kept spinning by the use of a lash. 5 One object is to provide a top which is held in the hand and spun by drawing a twisted rod along a groove and is kept spinning by whipping it with a lash attached to the end of the rod after it is placed on the floor.

Another object is to provide a top which is unique in that it is held in the hand by a pin while drawing the rod along the groove, the said pin disappearing when the top is placed on the ground or fiat surface.

These and other objects are apparent from the following specification and its accompanying illustrations, in which:

Fig. 1 is a, view wherein is shown the top as it is spun by the twisted rod.

Fig. 2 is a view wherein the top is shown being lashed to keep it spinning.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the top with th bearing pin extended as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view with the bearing pin in its disappearing or dropped position.

Again referring to the illustrations, the top flanged portion is of the top has a depression H therein and a bore 12 extending therethrough to a position adjacent the spinning pin 13, the shaft I 4 of said spinning pin extending upward through the lower tip 15 of the said top; below and adjacent the flanged portion I is a wide groove 16 with a further narrow flanged portion ll therebelow.

The lower portion of the top tapers inwardly to the tip l of the top, a series of grooves 18 encircling the outer periphery of the tapered portion.

A hearing I9 is mounted within the top of the 40 bore I2 and has an aperture 20 therethrough terminating in a recess 2| at the lower end of said bearing. A rotatable pin 22 having a curved head 23 is mounted therethrough, the head 23 of said pin, bearing in the recess 2| when the 45 top is in the position shown in Fig. 1.

A twisted rod 24 terminates in a handle 25 at one end and has a lash 26 secured within a loop 21 at its opposite end.

In operation the pin 22 is held in the fingers 28 as shown in Fig. 1, the handle 25 of the twisted rod 24 is held in the opposite hand 29 and the rod is drawn swiftly along the wide groove IS in a downward motion. This causes the top to spin fast and easily due to the bearing engagement between the head 23 of said pin and the recess 21 of the bearing- !9. The spinning top is then set upon a smooth surface such as a fioor, as quickly as possible and is whipped with the lash 26 which curls around the top within the a lower grooves IS in the tapered portion of the top causing the top to continue spinning for a greater period of time. It will be noted that when the top is set down for spinning the pin 22 immediately drops into the bore l2 and out of sight.

I claim:

1. A whipping top comprising a whip and a top, the outer surface of which comprises a plurality of grooves the upper-most groove being larger than the rest, the top having an axial bore inthe center thereof, a bearing in the upper end of said bore, said bearing having a recess at its inner end; a pin passing through the bearing and into the bore, the head of the pin fitting in the recess in the bearing when the pin is raised and the said pin dropping to the bottom of the bore so as not to project above the upper surface of the top.

2. A spinning top having an axial bore provided with a bearing at its upper end, and a pin movable up and down in the bore and through the bearing so that said pin will not project above the upper surface of the top when in its lower position, the pin having a head confined in the bore below the bearing.

3. A spinning top as in claim 2, the lower end of the bearing having a recess to receive the head of the pin when the latter is raised.

GUSTAV FESSENMEYER. 

